Richard Johnson is an American author, editor and entrepreneur.
A former police officer and trainer, he left public service and founded Tac6 Media, LLC.
Richard is a prolific writer with hundreds of articles related to firearms and law enforcement published by Harris Publications, Athlon Outdoors, NRA, Police & Security News, The Firearm Blog, Human Events and more.
Days ahead of SHOT Show 2020, Daniel Defense teased a new firearm – something that looked like it could be a PDW.
Well, that’s just what they released. Say hello to the new Daniel Defense DDM4 PDW.
Available in both pistol and SBR configurations, the AR-style weapon system was designed to be both compact and easy to transport. With a 7″ barrel, the pistol version has an overall length of 20.75″. The SBR is slightly longer at 21.0″. This suggests it should be able to fit into backpacks or specialized weapons packs like the ESS Stealth SBR Backpack.
SBRPistol
At launch, the guns were only chambered for the 300 BLK cartridge. Over time, the company could introduce other cartridges depending on customer demand.
Pistol variants are equipped with a Maxim Defense CQB Pistol Brace in lieu of a rifle stock. SBR versions are NFA items, meaning additional paperwork and tax stamps, but you get a Maxim Defense CQB Gen 7 collapsible stock.
“I believe our new DDM4 PDW is the absolute best gun you can buy to protect your family. And protecting our families is the most important thing any of us can ever do,” said Daniel Defense President & CEO Marty Daniel. “It’s accurate, easy to shoot, and compact. I couldn’t be any prouder of this groundbreaking product.”
Additional features of these guns:
7″ barrel with 1:7″ twist
barrels are cold hammer forged with S2W profile
enhanced buffer system that ensure reliable operation with short barrel, subsonic loads and suppressor use
6″ MFR XL flat front rail
SLR M-LOK MOD2 handstop
linear comp to redirect muzzle blast forward
ambidextrous GRIP-N-RIP charging handle
Made in the USA (of course)
Pistol MSRP: $1,865 (Updated: $2,073)
SBR MSRP: $1,935 (Updated: $2,012)
Daniel Defense shipped both versions of the DDM4 PDW starting in February 2020. They are both still in the company’s catalog at this time.
I don’t know about you, but the SBR with a suppressor looks like it would be a fun gun to run and worth the two stamps.
I like it when companies do unexpected things. Sometimes these outside-the-box ideas change the industry while other times they simply become a curiosity. Either way, it keeps things interesting.
In the days leading up to the SHOT Show, Ruger is rolling out its new products for 2020. Yesterday, the company announced the Lite Rack LCP II. Today, the latest is a handgun chambered for the 5.7×28 cartridge.
Let’s take a look at what this new gun offers.
Where to Buy the Ruger-57
The Ruger 57 is proving to be a very popular pistol. If you cannot pick one up for a reasonable price locally, consider purchasing one through our affiliate links:
I’ve done business with all of these companies and found them to be good people to work with. I willingly spend my own money with them.
Gun Design
The new Ruger-57 is a full-size pistol with a polymer frame. It has a barrel just short of 5″ and a modest weight of 24.5 ounces.
It is a semi-automatic, blowback design. Ruger designed the hammer-fired gun with a 1911-style thumb safety. The safety is ambidextrous for ease of use regardless of which hand grips the pistol.
A front fiber optic sight with a fully adjustable blacked-out rear sight is standard. The gun is red dot ready. Ruger sells multiple mounting plates for the addition of an optic like the Burris FastFire and Vortex Venom.
Standard magazines hold 20 rounds. However, the company also offers limited capacity 10-round magazines for shooters who live in less-free states.
The 5.7×28 Cartridge
There is a good chance that some of my readers are not familiar with the 5.7×28 cartridge.
That’s understandable as the cartridge has never secured a large part of the firearms market. Nevertheless, it is a caliber that offers a blend of low recoil, high velocity and the reliability of a centerfire round.
In general terms, it is a cartridge with a bottleneck case and a bullet with a diameter of 0.224″ (5.7mm.) Bullet weights range from about 20 grains to about 50 grains. The cartridge could be thought of like a thinner, shorter .221 Fireball though I have no information that suggests the Fireball directly influenced the 5.7×28 design.
Lightweight projectiles tend to make for less recoil and increased velocities. In my own testing, for example, I found the SS197 load with a 40 grain Hornady V-Max bullet averaged 1,683 fps from a 4.8″ barrel.
FN Herstal developed the round in response to a NATO request for a small arms cartridge that could be fired from a pistol and personal defense weapon (PDW) and could penetrate body armor. Although the cartridge and companion firearms were never adopted in any significant quantity by military units, the cartridge and guns have found use in law enforcement and sporting contexts.
Other than the new Ruger-57, there are few companies manufacturing firearms chambered for this cartridge. FN builds the Five-seveN pistol and PS90 rifle chambered for the 5.7×28. There are also several smaller companies that make or previously made specialty guns for the round including the AR-57 and Masterpiece Arms MPA 57.
While ammunition selection is fairly limited, Speer introduced a new Gold Dot defensive round for the 5.7×28 at the same time Ruger released this new pistol.
The Speer load uses a 40-grain bullet and will be sold in boxes of 50 rounds. The MSRP is about $1/round but street prices are expected to be about $35-39 for a box of 50.
Where to Buy the 5.7×28 Ammo
Finding 5.7×28 ammunition is tough in this market. However, you can find Ruger 57 bullets if you do a little digging. Here are two affiliates that have some in stock:
The best choice for 5.7×28 self-defense ammo I can find right now is the Speer Gold Dot load here.
Holster Options
For self-defense, predator control or just plinking on a camping trip, there is a good chance you will need a holster for your new Ruger-57. Fortunately, Ruger had the good sense to work with a number of companies to ensure there would be carry rigs available at launch.
I have a positive first impression of the new Ruger-57.
As I always say, the proof will be in the shooting. Even so, I am intrigued by this gun and have high expectations for its performance and the amount of fun it can provide.
The guns are not cheap by Ruger standards, but it is an all-new design and there are costs associated with that. Compared to the FN Five-seveN, the pistol is significantly less expensive – by more than $600. That will definitely bring more shooters to the 5.7×28 niche. I hope that means we will see more ammo made for it as well.
On the heels of its PDW announcement earlier in the year, Chiappa Firearms has another new gun based on the same design. Called the CBR-9 Black Rhino pistol, the new handgun will officially roll out at the 2020 SHOT Show in Las Vegas.
The new pistol uses a steel “upper” receiver that holds all of the mechanical components save the ejector and magazine. Those parts are housed in the polymer lower receiver that also forms the pistol grip.
Chiappa uses a blowback system in the Black Rhino. According to the company, the system is “improved and efficient” with a bolt that is about 50% of the weight of competing products.
Chambered in 9mm, the gun uses proprietary 18-round magazines. The company stated the magazine design is a patented design that prevents the deformation of the feed lips for improved reliability. In other words, don’t expect to slip a 33-round Glock magazine into place.
Good news, however. The company suggests larger magazine capacities may be available at a later date. This would seem to be an obvious play on its part.
One of the most interesting aspects of this new pistol is the collapsible arm brace. Similar to the shoulder stock on the PDW, the arm brace can make this gun extremely compact for transport and provide the additional bracing for someone to shoot the gun more accurately with one hand.
Low profile fiber optic sights are standard, while a top Picatinny rail allows for the addition of a red dot or some other optic. There are also side rails for lights and additional gear.
A few years back, Chiappa introduced the AK-9. That was an AK-style pistol that fed from Beretta 92 magazines. The CBR-9 pistol looks far more refined.
The original personal defense weapon that the Chiappa CBR-9 pistol is based on was unveiled at the 2019 IWA Outdoor Classics trade show in Nuremberg, Germany. To my eye, the CBR-9 Black Rhino pistol bears a passing resemblance to the HK MP7 PDW. I’m not suggesting the one is a copy or clone of the other – just that they have a resemblance. Here’s hoping the Chiappa is more affordable than the HK.
Florida-based SCCY appears ready to launch a new striker-fired pistol called the DVG1. (Scroll down for updates including the crazy price on the red dot version.)
Print advertising for the new SCCY DVG1 handgun appeared in magazines this week though the company does not have any mention of it on its website. Nevertheless, the ad does include a significant amount of information about the new pistols.
Where to Buy a SCCY DVG-1
If you are interested in purchasing a DVG-1, I recommend using one of my affiliate links below. All of these companies I do business with and have given me good service in the past.
If you have the time, I’d really appreciate it if you took a look at that article (it’s not an affiliate link) and left me a little feedback on what you think.
I’ve tried to explain all of the specifications used in flashlight marketing and explained my rationale behind selecting a good quality light. If you think I missed anything or wasn’t quite clear enough, please let me know.
My goal is to serve you. While we may not always agree on a specific gun or tactic, I try to provide the best information I can on the limited budget and time I have.
Also, if you have any thoughts on what people (including me) leave out of flashlight reviews – PLEASE let me know. Just drop a comment below so I can deliver the information you need.
I’ve been rewriting and updating my testing procedures for flashlights and now is the perfect time for me to work your feedback into the criteria.
